Friday: Morning:
The band got off to an early start on Friday morning with a 6:45am call time. As members arrived, pillows, blankets, bags, uniforms, food, you name it, someone had it, were brought on the busses. Members claimed their seats and headed over to the coliseum gate to grab some breakfast. The band provided breakfast which included bagels with cream cheese, an orange or apple, granola bar, a little danish and, of course, a juice. The breakfast was well received and as we pulled out of the parking lot, we all began to feast.
Friday: Late Morning:
The trip to Princeton was uneventful. My bus watched some Disney videos while most of us slept. As we arrived in Princeton, we were met with a police escort. They escorted us to the field we were going to perform on and as we drove, people from the area starred and some waved or honked. When we arrived at the field, lunch was waiting for us. Foot long Subway sandwiches were provided! We also had chips and two cookies, and not to mention about 25 different coolers of drinks to choose from. The band received the greeting very well and were excited to see all the liquid (it was very hot that day).
Friday: Mid Day:
The band ate in the stands while fans started to pour in to get good seats. After eating, we sang the Alma Mater and then proceeded to the busses to get into full uniform. Once sectionals were underway, the stadium was packed with elementary, middle, and high school students. Mr. Drury called the band up to give us a pep talk about how awesome everyone was here and how excited they were to see us, from here, the band lined up in tunnel lines. As we waited to enter the field, the fans started the wave and members of the band joined in. The drum line fired up the cadence, and Jason and I marched the band forward. The crowd went nuts, not a seat in the house, standing room only. We kicked off pre-game and the crowd got louder; we entered the simple gifts circle, louder yet! After the performance was over, the crowd gave The Pride a standing ovation. We returned to the busses and made our was to the next stop: North Carolina
Friday: Evening:
We arrived in Mooresville, again, incident free. We entered the high school to find North Carolina barbecue waiting for us! (They also had sheet cake that everyone thought was brownies, I knew better :D) The staff at the high school were incredibly nice and smiled the whole time they served all 375 of us. It was DELICIOUS! This dinner was very nice and it really gave the band a chance to unwind before the show. There was much laughter in the cafeteria at Mooresville High. After dinner, we all headed back to the busses. Jason and I decided to try and learn the flag routine for Jupiter, failing miserably. I later tried to 220 in a sousaphone, also an epic fail. Sectionals were held while we waited for show time. It was quite a little jaunt to the field so we got an early start heading down to the field. We arrived early and watched the high school football game. The band then proceeded to walk around the track to get to tunnel lines (We had to go early because the Mooresville marching band’s performance was only five minutes and there is NO WAY we can move 375 in 5 minutes with out feeling the stress.) When we got into tunnels, most band members came closer to the field to watch the marching band perform. Mooresville is a very good band and it was a pleasure to watch them. Once they finished, it was our turn. We played pre-game and our Auburn Halftime show (Star Wars Generations, Jupiter, and part of Country Roads). The crowd was, I assume, in shock. It took them a moment, literally, to realize what was happening and then they started to give thunderous applause. This crowd was PHENOMENAL! This is my fourth year, and I would have to say this was the best crowd I have ever played for. It really touched a lot of members and the talk around the band was about how awesome it was to play for them and how much energy they received from the crowd. It was fantastic. We headed back to the busses, being stopped and thanked by EVERYONE we saw! EVERYONE! They were so happy, it really makes to feel like what you do is worth it. Jason and I had a mom and her little girl come up to us and the mom said she wanted her little girl to be in the band, maybe even the drum major! :D
Friday Night/ Saturday Morning:
The busses pulled out and the whole band had a different attitude about them. The freshmen finally realized what they were a part of, the sophomores and juniors were reminded of how special The Pride is, and the seniors, they were blessed to have been in The Pride for four years and soaked in every moment of the experience.
The busses drove through the night to Atlanta. Upon arrival at the Hilton, members received their keys and proceeded to their rooms. I’m pretty positive everyone just passed out.